


roar of rebellion

by discordiansamba



Series: abyss of memory [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-12 06:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15333612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/discordiansamba/pseuds/discordiansamba
Summary: first: Regris doesn't expect to be tasked with taking care of their newest recruit, but that's exactly where he finds himself.second: Matt learns that there are some jokes you just shouldn't crack around amnesiacs.third: Shiro reflects, and discovers.





	1. regris side

**Author's Note:**

> And we're back! I've got three installments planned this time! This obviously, is one of them. The next will be from Matt's POV, and the third shall be a mystery perspective that I won't spoil! Can you guess?

Word spread fast.

They might be a network of spies, but even the Blade of Marmora was not invulnerable to rumor. Especially not when something as curious as this came their way.

One of their number had recovered a child from a Galra prison ship- a ship on which he was the sole prisoner. That alone was worth noting, but what was _more_ interesting was the fact that he'd earned the attention of Zarkon's witch. The lengths to which she had gone to hide his existence were nothing short of impressive, which meant whoever this child was, he was clearly of some importance.

Only they had no idea why.

The child himself did not know- _amnesia_ , he had heard some say. He knew nothing- not about why he was on that ship, nor why the witch would even be interested in him.

Not even anything about himself.

 _Kethe_. The Blade who had rescued him- Ulaz- had named him as such. He stood with the slight stature of a child, but his facial features were more defined than they should be at that age. He was a hybrid of some sort, though his planet of origin was just as ill-defined as the rest of him.

And now he was in charge of him.

He didn't know what he had expected. Maybe something fragile, frightened.

What he got instead was determination.

It was the first thing that struck him, upon seeing the child of rumors for the first time. Not the way he used the wall to balance himself, nor the odd sheen of his hair. But that look, the one that told him that whoever this child was, he was no fragile flower, that needed to be taught how not to wilt.

There was no denying that he was scrawny- malnourished, even. But there was a fight in him that could not be denied.

"Kethe," Kolivan's voice was stern, but when was it ever _not_ , he thought, "-this is Regris. He'll be in charge of your training."

He didn't know why he had been picked for this. There were other, more capable Blades who would have been a better choice, but he knew by now better than the question his leader's decisions.

So instead, he stuck out his arm. Sure, he was some mystery amnesia child of unknown origin, but that was no reason not to be friendly, right?

Instead of grasping his forearm, however, Kethe grasped his hand- and then looked as if he didn't quite know what to do with it. Instead of trying to work it out, he merely let his hand go, dropping his own to his side, leaving Regris' arm to hang awkwardly in the air.

Right.

Something like this should be expected- mystery amnesia child and all.

"Nice to meet you." Kethe said, his voice not at all what he'd expected it to be. No wonder his exact age was something that was in question.

"Kethe requires specific training that I believe you are best equipped to handle." Kolivan spoke up.

"Specific training?" Regris blinked, looking up towards Kolivan. All of his specialities tended towards the mental, not the physical.

The answer came from Kethe. "Tail."

Blinking, Regris glanced back down at him, eyes falling on the aforementioned appendage. It seemed to duck back behind him at his gaze, more on instinct than anything else. It was then that he took notice of how unbalanced he was- unsteady on his feet, even while standing.

His own tail curled behind him, and he didn't miss the faint way that Kethe's gaze trailed after it. It struck him then, that the _specific training_ that Kolivan referred to was teaching him how to adapt to having a _tail_.

Suddenly, Kolivan's choice made sense. There weren't many of their number, not at the main base. There was Antok, but serving as Kolivan's right hand kept him busy- he didn't have time to train anyone, much less an inexperienced youngster who didn't even know how to walk straight.

Looking back up towards Kolivan, his leader merely gave him a curt nod. "We believe that certain aspects of Kethe's physiology may have been altered."

It was testament to how composed he could be, that Kolivan managed to utter that statement without so much as even blinking. The implications of it were horrifying- Regris tried to imagine what it would be like if someone removed his tail, and could only shudder at the thought.

He would not like it, not one bit.

Sensing that Kolivan was waiting for an answer, Regris stood straight. "Understood. I'll take care of him, Kolivan."

Satisfied with that, Kolivan dismissed himself, leaving the two of them alone. For a long moment, all they did was stare at the other- before Regris finally broke the silence. "How about you show me your walk?"

Crinkling his brow, Kethe's nose scrunched up. "It's not exactly graceful."

"I promise not to judge." Regris told him- and meant it, too. He was essentially having to relearn how to walk- not an easy task, even for a seasoned warrior. "If we're going to do this, it would help to know from where to start."

Kethe frowned, but before long, gave him a curt nod of his head. Taking a small step forward- even that effort made him waver on his feet, unsteady. He only got five steps in before he had to use the wall to prop himself up, keeping himself from falling over. Letting out a frustrated grumble, Kethe's tail flicked in irritation behind him, which earned it a scathing look.

Clearly the first thing he'd have to teach him was that his tail was _not_ his enemy.

* * *

Kethe proved interesting.

He was a quick study, finding his feet faster than he expected him to. Once he stopped treating his tail as if it were the enemy, he began to gradually grow used to its presence, learning how to work with it. Frustration served as a good motivator- he wanted to begin training as soon as possible, but in order to do that, he needed to be able to walk in a straight line, unaided.

Teaching him how to use an appendage that he'd had all his life was trickier than Regris had expected. He didn't know what it was like to _not_ have a tail, so teaching him how to correct his balance from not having one, to having one proved a challenge. Thankfully, he quickly learned that what he needed to do wasn't teach- but simply _show_.

They found a routine, like that.

Kethe would sit to the side in one of the training rooms, and simply watch him. There was an intensity to his gaze, as he scrutinized every movement that he made, watching how his body moved in tandem with his tail. At first, it had unnerved him a bit, but he soon grew used to it.

He would then try to mimic him- moving his tail in the same way, trying to move his body in tandem with it. Sometimes the other way around. It proved effective, much faster than anything Regris could have actually taught him.

Kethe also proved to be rather endearing.

There was something to his stubbornness, his _drive_. Perhaps he wasn't actually a child, but he was still _young_ , Regris sensed. Younger than him. It was like having a younger brother around, and as someone who had been an only child, it was quaint, that feeling.

Did Kethe have any siblings? A family that missed him? People searching for him?

He knew that Kolivan, alongside Ulaz, were still searching for answers. They had asked Kethe as many questions as they could think of, but he didn't know the answer to any of them. Sometimes Regris caught himself wondering what it was like, to live like that- only able to remember back so far, and then just... _nothing_.

Kethe was probably stronger than any of them gave him credit for.

But as endearing as his stubborn streak was, it could also be just as much of a pain. He would often work himself to the bone, at times having to be physically dragged from the training room. More often than not, he was the one in charge of doing so.

Like he was right now.

Kethe had been wavering on his feet, and it had nothing to do with any balance issues. Not from the way he could barely keep his eyes open, his body clearly craving sleep. He wasn't even supposed to _be_ in the training room at this hour- at this hour, he was supposed to be sleeping, which was probably why his body was begging him to do so.

He had a surprising amount of fight in him, for someone who was half asleep. "Lemme go, Regris."

"Not doing that." Regris told him, not releasing his grip on his collar. "You need rest."

"No I don't." Kethe protested, sounding every bit like the child they thought he was when he'd first been brought here.

"You can barely keep your eyes open." Regris told him. "What good will it do you if you just fall asleep in the training room? What if you catch the night chills?"

"You can't catch the night chills like that." Kethe protested, folding his arms in front of him.

Regris frowned. "I'll be honest, I'm surprised you even know what those _are_."

Kethe's fur bristled at the comment, and tired though he was, he was still awake enough to shoot him a glare. "I've done my reading."

Which was true. What time Kethe didn't spend training, he spent reading. Studying. He seemed to have an almost compulsive desire to _know_ , and he had to wonder if it was the byproduct of having almost no memories of his own.

They had caught him falling asleep in the archive too.

But falling asleep in the archive and falling asleep in the training rooms were two different things. In the archives, the master kept a watchful eye, ready with a blanket for any dozing acolytes deep into their studies- and even the occasional Blade proper. But no one would find him in the training room until morning, and it wasn't exactly an environment that was conducive to sleeping well.

Everyone knew Kethe had nightmares.

Dreams were uncommon among the Galra, but not unheard of. And Kethe was a hybrid- so it was not so unexpected that he should have them.

Which was perhaps _why_ he was on the training deck in the middle of the night, now that he thought about it. Avoiding sleep. Avoiding dreams.

"Do you want to talk about them?" Regris asked, finally releasing his grip on Kethe's collar.

"Talk about what?" Kethe asked, ready to brush the question off.

 _That_ was an annoying habit of his as well. And Regris? Regris was not going to stand for it.

"Nope." Regris told him, pushing him with a light hand into his quarters. "We're going to talk about it. Sit."

"My room." Kethe grumbled, even as he sunk back into the bed, tail flicking out of his way. He still sat on it, from time to time, but he'd gotten better about it recently.

"I'm in charge of you." Regris pointed out.

"Of my _training_." Kethe shot back, tail flicking in annoyance as he looked up at him.

"Your emotional state can effect how well you fight." Regris told him- which sounded reasonable enough, but really, all he wanted to do was just lend him an ear. But he sensed Kethe needed an excuse, so an excuse he would give. "Best to just come out with it, if something is troubling you."

"Nothing is troubling me." Kethe told him.

"Kethe-" Regris began.

"No, that's just it." Kethe told him, cutting him off. "It's _nothing_. My dreams are just- there's nothing _there_ , Regris."

Closing his mouth, Regris frowned. "You can't dream about _nothing_."

"I do." Kethe said. "I don't- I don't know how to describe it to you."

Taking a seat on the bed next to him, Regris carefully studied the young acolyte. Kethe's weak side was one he hesitated to show to others, as if there was something deep in his subconscious that was keeping him from doing so. A survival tactic, maybe- one whose cause Kethe had long since forgotten, even as his body remembered.

Perhaps he could try and teach him otherwise.

"Try." Regris told him. "I will listen. It may help."

For a long time, Kethe simply looked at him- before he turned his gaze away, dropping it downwards. His tail flicked around to his front, resting in his lap. He took to stroking the tip of it- a comforting gesture, he suspected.

"I know that it's a dream, and that it's not _real_ , but it's just this... this _void_." Kethe began. "Sometimes there's shapes, _images_ , but they don't stay long. Like the second I try and concentrate on them, they slip away from me. Or I can hear people talking, but I can't make out what they're saying, or even what their voices sound like."

"It's like..." searching for the words, Kethe's brows furrowed, "-it's like I'm trapped inside my own head."

For a long moment, he didn't understand. Maybe it was because he didn't dream- everything he knew about them, he'd read, or heard from those who did. It wasn't until Kethe met his eyes, that it clicked.

He couldn't dream about anything because he didn't _remember_ anything.

His time with the Blade of Marmora had barely made a dent in what he had lost. He had been with them for only two months- and before that, he had nothing.

It must have been terrifying.

"What if it's like this forever?" Kethe asked, staring down at his own hands. "I don't want to be the only person to not have a past."

"You have a past." Regris told him. "Here, with us."

Kethe let out a snort. "Yeah, a short one."

"It will get longer." Regris promised him. "You will create new memories, that is the good thing about them. Then maybe you will dream of something."

Frowning, Kethe looked up at him. "That feels like it could take a long time."

"Are you in a rush?" Regris asked.

"I-" Kethe opened his mouth, only to shut it again. "No. Guess not."

"Good." Regris told him. "Then try to get some rest. If I catch you sneaking off to the training room again, I will put you on mess hall duty."

"Doesn't sound so bad." Kethe said.

" _Cleaning_ it."

"...on second thought, I take it back."

* * *

Ulaz was dead, and Kethe was set to face his trials.

It was against all reason- it had only been five months since he came. Enough time for him to find his feet, but not nearly enough to make a seasoned warrior out of him. Perhaps he had talent with the blade, and persistence, and while those things might carry him through the physical portion, it was not the physical portion that he was so worried about.

Regris still recalled his own trials. He was grateful he didn't dream, for he was sure that he would still sometimes see the images in his nightmares were he to do so.

But Kethe had no memories. No one knew what that would bring. Give him time, let him build some up, experience various things. That was the common wisdom around the base.

And yet, Kolivan had assented.

For once, he truly found himself questioning what his leader was thinking. What if it was too much? He'd never seen it happen himself, but there had been acolytes in the past who had broken during the trials. What if Kethe...?

No. Thinking back to the day they'd first met, to the determination that had been in those eyes, Regris realized that there was no chance of that. Whatever form the trials took for him, Kethe would make it through.

Still, on the day they were to be held, Regris went to watch. He had been the one to mentor him, so he was more than welcome to do so.

He understood then, seeing his mindscape for himself, what Kethe had been trying to describe to him that sleepless night months ago. Why such a thing could keep him awake at night, avoiding sleep out of fear of seeing it again.

Kethe's trial was accepting it.

He passed.

Regris had been there to help guide him out. He clutched to his awakened blade, using it as a means to ground himself. Underneath his fur, his skin felt cold to the touch, but though he seemed dazed, Kethe chased his hand away, changing out of the suit he had been given himself.

And into the armor that had been prepared for him.

Clad in it, Kethe's breaths came easier. It brought with it a sense of purpose, Regris sensed. Maybe not a means to take back what had been stolen from him, but a way to let the Galra Empire know just what he had realized, when they had first met- that he was no fragile flower, ready to wilt.

They had taken and taken from him, until he had nothing left to offer but blood and bone- and now he was going to take from them.

He still found him that night, forgoing sleep for training.

This time, he let him be.

* * *

The paladins of Voltron arrived, and Kethe was summoned.

Once again, it was a choice that struck everyone by surprise. Only senior Blades had been summoned to the meeting- he had been surprised that his own name had been on the list as it was.

But Kethe? It had only been a month since he had passed his trials. He hadn't even been on a proper mission yet, just a few basic supply runs. Once again, he was left to wonder just what Kolivan was thinking.

The paladins of Voltron were humans- most of them, at least. Rumor was that the Altean princess flew the red lion, much like her father had in the past. He had grown up hearing stories of the Altean people, thought long dead- they often went hand in hand with the tales of Voltron. But _humans_?

Regris knew nothing about humans, nor even what to expect.

They came from a pre-warp planet, and according to their intelligence, three had been captured on the distant moon of their system by one of Zarkon's scout ships. The black paladin was one of them- the former Champion, who Ulaz had helped escape, so that he might find the blue lion before Zarkon did.

It had been a gamble, but Ulaz always did seem to have luck with those.

Two paladins came- black and blue, judging from their armor. They arrived in the blue lion, of which Regris sneaked a peek of, letting his curiosity oh so briefly get the better of him. It was massive, more so than he had expected. Voltron then, must have been even larger.

The paladins themselves weren't much to look at. Even clad in armor, it was apparent that they had no fangs and no claws, nothing to defend themselves with. Much like the name of their planet, they came in earth tones, one a sandy color, and the other a light brown.

It was hard to think that the black paladin could have dominated the arena as he did. Clearly, though they did not look like much, these humans were not to be underestimated. Especially not if four of them had been chosen by the lions of Voltron.

Even from across the room, he could sense that Kethe's eyes were on the paladins. Glowering at them, most likely. He was minding his tail for once, not letting it thrash about, perhaps sensing the mood.

He didn't know if Kolivan would agree to the alliance. Meeting with the paladins of Voltron had been Ulaz's last wish, and that much, he was willing to carry out. But the Blade of Marmora had survived this long because they operated in secret- if they began to work with the paladins, who were so visible, their existence would become known, putting all their deep cover agents at risk.

It was a dangerous gamble.

One that Kolivan apparently decided was worth it. They already had plans in the works for an assault on Central Command- it was risky, one that would doubtlessly result in loss of life, but with Voltron on their side, that number would be halved.

Two members of the Blade were to accompany Kolivan to the Altean castle-ship. Antok was a natural choice, but there had been a faint murmur when Kethe's name had been called.

The newly minted Blade seemed just as surprised as anyone else, and Regris could almost see the doubt in his eyes behind his mask. He had gotten to know him well during his time here, and the child was always easy to read, his expressions large and drawn out, unlike those of most Galra.

Regris wondered about the choice. He knew that Kethe held a grudge against the paladins- was that why he had been selected? Perhaps as a means to alleviate it- but would Kolivan really pick Kethe just for that reason?

Maybe he intended to inquire with the Altean princess about Kethe's memory loss. He had heard that there were Alteans who had strange and mystical powers, so if there was anyone who could assist Kethe, it was likely Princess Allura.

Neither of those sounded as if they were _bad_ , but somehow didn't quite fit, either. Kolivan was not one to show favoritism, so that option wasn't even one that he considered.

Perhaps it was Kethe's past. Perhaps he had some kind of connection to the paladins of Voltron, though he couldn't imagine _what_.

He caught Kethe's eye as he left, and returned it with a nod of his head. Kethe nodded back, before trailing along after Kolivan, Antok, and the two paladins. When he got back, Regris would be sure to grill him for details- both on what Kolivan had chosen him for, and what it was like to ride in one of the Voltron lions.

But Kethe didn't come back.

Not with Kolivan.

Antok didn't return either, nor did Thace, though his mission was now over. When he learned that they had both perished, a cold fear gripped his heart- and though it broke protocol, he couldn't _not_ ask after Kethe.

To his surprise, Kolivan told him.

"Kethe will be serving as a liaison to the paladins of Voltron."

It was such a simple answer, sensible- but he got the feeling it was leaving something out.

* * *

They met again on the battlefield.

He hadn't even known that Kethe would be a part of the ground forces, until their paths crossed in the blue lion's hangar. They exchanged greetings with each other, but didn't have the time to do much else before it was time to load up.

Today, they would be helping the paladins take back Puig. While they cleared the air, the Blade of Marmora would serve as ground forces, and take out the sentries. Voltron wouldn't be, but the terrain was as such that it made it difficult for the lions to take out the sentry forces without laying waste to the villages that they had entrenched themselves in.

In order to minimize damage, it was the best plan.

It didn't go off without a hitch, but most plans didn't. The heavy artillery canon was _not_ in their initial intelligence reports, so it must have been a recent installation. The yellow paladin was able to take it down with ease, using his lion's heavy armor to drill through solid rock.

They were able to drive out the Galra forces with no loss of life- all in all, a victory.

The looks of mistrust and suspicion that they got from the Puigans were to be expected. Even if they had put their lives on the line to free their home, it would seem that nobody would be so quick as to trust a Galra.

Kethe, though he understood this, clearly did not accept it.

"I don't get it," he told him upon their return to the Altean castle-ship, "-we just helped free them. Why would they treat us like that?"

"Our kind hasn't exactly done much to endear itself to the universe at large." Regris told him, banishing his own mask. "We cannot blame them for being apprehensive. That they allowed our presence at all means something."

"Doesn't mean it's fair." Kethe told him, banishing his own mask, giving way to a frustrated expression. His tail thrashed angrily behind him, cutting through the air like a whip.

"I know it is not." Regris told him. "But some things cannot be helped."

Letting out a long sigh, Kethe's shoulders slumped. "I know. It's just- it's frustrating."

"It is that." Regris agreed, making his way down the blue lion's ramp. "This castle-ship has a training deck, doesn't it? Perhaps we could-"

"Wha- _Keith!?_ "

Blinking, Regris jolted his head up, watching as Kethe did the same, looking in much the same direction. It was the blue paladin- _Lance_ , he recalled his name was- who called out to them, crossing the hangar with a dumbfounded look on his face.

He was sure that he had called Kethe's name, but it had sounded a bit strange. Did he have difficulties pronouncing it? Maybe the sound was not easy on his tongue.

"Lance," Kethe frowned, "-what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Lance asked, stopping just short of Kethe, leaving him very little in the way of personal space. "You're asking me what's _wrong_? You just waltzed out of the blue lion, that's what! Allura didn't say _anything_ about you being a part of the ground forces- did you even clear this with her?"

"I cleared it with Kolivan." Kethe told him.

Frowning, Regris glanced between the two. He had not gotten the chance to ask after Kethe's relationship with the paladins, but clearly it was going well if one of their number could sound so worried about him.

"Nope, no sir!" Pulling back a step, Lance glowered up at Kethe. "That doesn't cut it. You could have gotten yourself killed down there."

Narrowing his eyes, the fur on Kethe's tail bristled, clearly misinterpreting where the blue paladin's words were coming from. "I'm _still_ a member of the Blade of Marmora, Lance. I'd rather help with the ground forces than sit around and do nothing."

"Maybe," Lance said, clearly not willing to back down, "-but you're a paladin of Voltron first."

And _that_ was where Regris nearly choked on his own spit. Eyes wide, he fixed his stare on Kethe, trying to process what he had just heard. "Kethe is a _paladin_?"

The blue paladin- who clearly had forgotten he was there, judging from his reaction- started. Glancing towards Regris, then towards Kethe, then back at Regris again, he furrowed his brows- before looking back up at Kethe. "Wait- hold on. I thought the Blade knew."

No! The Blade most certainly did not!

"Kolivan said it'd be best to keep it under wraps." Kethe said. "So thanks, Lance, for just blurting it out for the whole world to hear."

To his credit, Lance had the mind to look guilty. "Oh uh- whoops?"

"Well, I know _now_." Regris cut in, locking his gaze with Kethe. "Is it true?"

Now it was Kethe's turn to look guilty, he thought. His tail drooped, the young Blade pointedly looking everywhere _but_ his face. "I- yeah. It's- the situation is complicated."

Glancing between the two Galra, Lance took half a step back. "I should- I should check with Hunk to see if that Puigan ambassador made it onto the Castle okay."

Regris knew a strategic retreat when he saw one, and the blue paladin made no attempts to hide it. He waited until he was gone, before he let out a breath, carefully studying Kethe. "Complicated?"

"Complicated." Kethe echoed. "I don't even know where to _start_."

"How about with which lion?" Regris asked.

At that, Kethe gave him a faint smile. "The red lion."

At that, something in Regris' head clicked. There had been rumors, ages ago, that the red paladin had been captured by the Galra Empire. They didn't last long- the red lion still flew, and therefore must have still had a paladin.

Unless the paladin had been replaced.

In which case... _Kethe_ was the original paladin of the red lion.

Which meant...

"Did you remember?" Regris asked.

Kethe's face fell, and he almost regretted asking. "No, nothing. I thought that maybe..." Trailing off, Kethe shook his head. "Nothing's come back to me. I've just- everything I know, someone's told me, and even then, it's not much. And what I have, is..."

Running a hand through his hair, Kethe searched for the right words. "Human- I used to be _human_ , Regris. Or at least _part_ human. Enough to look it. Not," motioning to himself, "-not like this. Not Galra."

At that, Regris couldn't help but wince. If he hadn't told him that, he might have never guessed. Any human in him had thoroughly been masked. "Do you know-?"

"No." Kethe said, shaking his head, sensing what he wanted to ask. What he looked like- or used to. "I haven't been able to ask yet. I'm not sure if I even _want_ to know."

Blinking, Regris frowned. "I thought you did?"

"I- yeah, before I knew I used to be another race entirely!" Kethe told him, throwing up his hands. "I'm _Galra_ , Regris, that's just- that's all I know. And now suddenly I'm supposed to be _human_? How am I supposed to handle that?!"

Shoulders slumping, Kethe closed his eyes. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I can't be the person they want me to be. I don't even know who that _is_."

"They've been searching all this time for this- this _Keith Kogane_ , and instead what they end up with is _me_. I'm not- I'm not him, I don't even know who that _is_ , Regris!" He had never heard Kethe so _lost_ before, his words coming out like a dam burst. "I thought- I thought finding out who I am would give me a sense of identity, but now all I feel like is some kind of bodysnatcher."

Regris blinked. That was not a word he knew. "Bodysnatcher?"

"Yeah, like," running a hand through his hair, Kethe racked his brain for the meaning, "-like I'm just some alien who came and took their friend's body for his own."

Letting out a dry laugh, Kethe sunk to the floor, crouching there. "That's exactly what I am, aren't I? I'm a fucking _bodysnatcher_."

For a long moment, Regris didn't even know what to say. What could he? He knew who he was, secure in that knowledge. They would be hard pressed to find someone who could relate to Kethe's issues, scouring the universe only to turn up no one.

But he could try.

"Kethe," crouching down in front of him, Regris rested a hand on his shoulder, "-you don't have to do this if it's too much for you. You can just be Kethe."

"No I _can't_ , Regris." Looking up at him, Kethe wrung his hands. "I'm not supposed to be Kethe. That's- I'm not even a real person."

"You exist." Regris told him. "Here and now. If that is not real, then what is?"

Hanging his head again, Kethe's tail curled around his legs. "I know, I know that, but I just- I don't know, Regris. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, or even who I'm supposed to be."

"They've all- everyone here has been waiting for Keith, and I-" Shaking his head, he chanced a look back up at him, doubt etched into his features, "-what if they already know? That I'm not- that I can't be him. What if they're just tolerating me so they can form Voltron?"

"I don't think Voltron works that way." Regris said.

"I know, but," heaving a long sigh, Kethe let out a weak laugh, "-I'm a mess."

"That you are." Regris agreed- glad to hear the growl, however slight, that accompanied his agreement. "What you've learned is a lot for anyone to process, especially at your age. You need to give it time."

"I know I do." Kethe told him. "It's just- what if they get sick of me?"

"Do you not wish them to?" Regris asked.

"I don't- I don't know." Kethe confessed. "They're- the paladins are the only connection I have to my past. And I don't- I can't afford to lose them."

Nodding his head, Regris could understand that. "Do you think they would?"

"I don't know that either." Kethe told him. "I think the princess hates my guts. And I'm pretty sure Lance doesn't like me."

"I can't speak for the princess, but I can assure you, the blue paladin doesn't dislike you." Regris told him.

"How can you be sure?" Kethe asked, frowning. "You saw what just happened. He's always trying to pick a fight with me like that."

"I don't know about the other times, but I believe this time, he was just worried about you." Regris pointed out- and watched as the realization dawned across Kethe's face.

"Oh." Brow furrowing, Kethe's tail twitched. "Why wouldn't he just _say_ that?"

"Have you ever heard Kolivan express worry?" Regris asked.

"No." Kethe said, tilting his head. "Huh. I guess you're right."

"Of course I am." Regris told him. "I recommended that you try at it a bit longer. Now," getting to his feet, he offered the young Blade a hand up, "-why don't you show me this training deck I've heard about? A good spar could take your mind off things."

Finally cracking a smile, Kethe took his hand, letting him haul him to his feet. "...thanks, Regris."

"Remember," Regris said, "-you always have a home with the Blade of Marmora."

* * *

Kethe did not return to the Blade of Marmora.

Perhaps just getting out his feelings helped, because he only doubled his efforts to get to know his fellow paladins. It seemed to bear fruit- the few times that he contacted him, his expression looked better than it had been.

He still had anxieties- but that was to be expected. Regris listened, giving him advice where he could, but they both realized that this was largely out of his depth.

Having someone that he could speak openly to seemed to help. Even from a distance, Regris could tell that his relationship with his fellow paladins was improving- he still remembered the first time he had called him, when the first thing that came out of his mouth was that they _cared_.

"They care about _me_ , Regris." Kethe had told him. " _Me_."

Him. Not Keith Kogane, but _Kethe_.

He wondered if the paladins knew how much that meant to him.

He did not get many chances to speak with them- sometimes they would pay Kethe a visit when he was hiding away from the aftermath of a battle in the red lion. Should they be on a mission together, he would often be there with him. Calls were great, but nothing beat catching up in person.

"It suits you, you know."

Kethe made a face, glancing down at the paladin armor. "It just feels _clunky_. There wasn't even space in the helmet for my braid until Pidge cut a hole into the back of it."

At that, he gave him a grin. Much as he would deny it, he knew that he'd taken to styling his hair in braid out of respect for Kolivan.

"I like it." Regris told him. "I never dreamed I would see the day that a Galra would be back to flying one of the lions of Voltron."

"Yeah, because we all know how well that worked out the first time." Kethe said. It was a joke, and a clear one, but it spelled out just why he was hiding away like this, instead of joining the other paladins at the grand banquet held in their honor.

He may have learned of the human half of his heritage, but Kethe still thought of himself as Galra. There were so few signs of it, other than the sheen of his hair and his small stature, that it was likely difficult for him to embrace that half of himself. Had he never lost his memories, never been captured, Regris wondered if what they would have instead was a human struggling to come to terms with the Galra blood he bore.

Perhaps the Kethe of the past already knew, but no one would ever know for sure. He carried a knife bearing the symbol of the Blade of Marmora, but had the sense to keep the hilt hidden. Whether it was out of paranoid fear of possessing something different, or knowledge of what it meant, it was impossible to say.

It was funny, Regris thought. He didn't know what kind of connection that Keith Kogane might have had to the Blade of Marmora, but to think he had wound up being drawn back to them... perhaps that was fate, just as it was when the red lion chose him.

He suspected Kolivan knew of the blade's origins, but he was keeping that close to himself. Since no one had stepped forward to claim it- or Kethe- he could only assume that whoever they were, they were currently in the middle of a deep cover mission, and had other concerns.

"You are no Zarkon." Regris told him.

"I know." Kethe said, tail flicking behind him. "Tell that to them, though."

"Tell that to who?"

The small voice startled the both of them- if he had fur much in the same way Kethe did, Regris was sure his would have bristled just the same. The green paladin always had quiet steps, and lost in conversation as they were, the two Blades barely noticed her approach until she was nearly right on top of them.

Bearing food.

"Hey Kethe." The green paladin- _Pidge_ , such a curious name- greeted her fellow paladin. "And it's Regris, right?"

"Indeed." Regris told her with a nod of his head.

"Okay, cool." Pidge said. "Anyways, Hunk told me to bring you some food. Thought you might be getting a bit hungry by now. I guess you can share with your friend if you want?"

 _Friend_? Regris blinked at the word. He had never thought of it, but yes, he supposed in a sense, they were friends. Kethe certainly did not protest to it.

"I was. Thanks, Pidge." Kethe told her, getting to his feet. "I thought you were babysitting Lance, though."

"Hunk's turn." Pidge told him, passing over her burden to him, which he set down in the middle of the floor, plopping down right in front of it. She joined him without hesitation. "Hence why I'm here, and not him."

"Also because I was starting to get a little burned out." Pidge confessed after a second. "Any chance I can hide here for awhile?"

"Fine with me." Kethe remarked, glancing up at him. "Regris?"

"I do not see why not." Regris told her, sinking into a sitting position much like the other two. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Kethe's tail looped itself around his waist, even as he reached for what he could only assume was one of the local delicacies.

"Great, thanks." Pidge said. "It's not that I _hate_ parties, it's just that there's only so much party I can take."

"So instead you'd rather hang out with a pair of Galra." Kethe dryly observed.

"Eh, beats recounting how we took back the planet for the tenth time." Pidge said with a shrug. "Guess they'll just be stuck with Lance's version."

Kethe let out a snort at that. "Right, the one where he did all the cool stuff."

"Not _all_ the cool stuff." Pidge told him. "I mean, he still lets Shiro do his cool stuff."

Listening to the two paladins banter, Regris felt himself relax. After that day in the blue lion's hangar, it was heartening to hear Kethe speak to one of his fellow paladins this way.

Clearly, trying had paid off.

* * *

They shouldn't have gone on this mission.

That was the last thought in his head as the explosion rocked the ship.

* * *

"Whoa there, take it easy."

Groaning, Regris placed a hand on his head. It wasn't that it _hurt_ , it simply felt groggy, his thoughts unclear- and the bright lights certainly weren't helping matters. That, and the chill seeping from his bones combined to make him rather disorientated, unsteady on his feet.

He was struck by the sense that something was missing, but he couldn't begin to place _what_.

"Where-?" He croaked out, dimly aware that someone else was in the room with him, but unable to place their voice right away. Normally, this would be cause for concern, but he felt like he at least _recognized_ it, and not in a bad way.

"You're on the Castle." The voice spoke again- and this time, he placed it. The black paladin, Shiro.

"The Castle?" Regris blinked, trying to focus his vision. The black paladin swam into view, and he dimly became aware that he seemed to be in a med bay of some kind. "The Castle of Lions?"

"That's the one." Shiro told him. "Keep it down a bit, though."

He nudged his head in one direction, and Regris frowned, following it with his gaze. It did not take him long to determine why- there was Kethe, fast asleep, leaning against one of the healing pods. Dimly, he realized that he had been _in_ one- which explained the chill that was fading from him, as his core slowly warmed up.

Which meant he had been hurt.

In a flash, his memories came back to him. The mission, the decoy ship, the _bomb_ -

-and let himself breathe. Obviously if he was here, then things must have worked out somehow. Kethe looked no worse for wear, other than a few minor scrapes and bruises that he could barely even make out past his fur. Mostly, he just looked tired.

"He's been staying up to look after you." Shiro told him. "I told him you'd be fine, but he can be pretty stubborn when it comes to this sort of thing."

There was a trace of fondness to the black paladin's words- and he recalled, suddenly, how Kethe had told him once that the two used to have a bond that ran deep between them. That bond had been severed on one end, and he often worried that there would be no fixing it.

To him, it seemed there was no need for that. There was no need to fix what clearly wasn't broken.

"He won't be happy to find out he slept through this." Regris remarked.

"No, he won't." Shiro admitted. "But I think we can afford to let him sleep a little longer. Do you remember what happened?"

"A bomb went off." Regris reported. "After that, nothing."

"The red lion tore its way out of the hangar to get to Keith. Took you with it- Kolivan too." Shiro said. "Allura was able to open a wormhole to get the three of you back here. You might not have made it otherwise."

Blinking, Regris glanced back towards Kethe. Had he called the red lion, or had it merely come on its own? Either way, it was such a display of loyalty, that there could no longer be any question as to who its true paladin was.

"I owe them both my thanks, then." Regris told him. "How long have I been-?"

"Three days, give or take." Shiro reported, and Regris couldn't help but grimace. "Keith hasn't left the infirmary since you went into the pod. We got him to eat, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time he's slept since then."

As if he heard them, Kethe let out a low moan, stirring in his sleep. Cracking one eye open, he frowned, clearly still half asleep. "...regris?"

And then his eyes snapped open, Kethe springing to his feet. "Regris!"

"...and I guess he's awake now." Shiro remarked.

"You're awake!" Kethe said, before frowning, turning to Shiro. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Sorry," apologetic, Shiro was quick to reply, "-just thought you could use the rest, Keith. Promise me you'll get some actual sleep later?"

Frowning, Kethe furrowed his brows. "Fine. But not until Regris gets a clean bill of health."

"I'd better hurry and do that then." Regris remarked.

"I'll go get Coran." Shiro told him, nodding his head. "I'll send word to Kolivan while I'm at."

With a faint smile, Shiro dismissed himself from the med bay. Turning back towards Kethe, he noted that his frown hadn't faded- if anything, it had only grown deeper. His gaze was fixed not on him, but behind him, his brow creased with guilt.

Frowning, Regris glanced behind him, wondering what it was that had him so upset.

...ah.

So that's why he felt as if something was missing.

His tail had been cut off, leaving behind only a short stub. The skin had healed over, leaving no trace of any scars, but it was no wonder that he found himself so unsteady on his feet. Taking a halting step forward, Regris frowned, the small action having him wavering on his feet, and Kethe rushing to support him.

"We tried to save it." Kethe hurriedly explained. "But you could have died during the time it took to remove all the shrapnel from it, and leaving it in wasn't an option. We had to make a call."

"You made a good one." Regris assured him. "I'm rather fond of not being dead."

In spite of himself, Kethe let out an ugly snort. "I thought you would be mad."

"Mad at myself, mostly." Regris observed. "I should have run."

"It was my call to plant the tracker." Kethe told him- and ah, there it was, the guilt. He knew he was hiding that somewhere. "If we'd just _left_ -"

"-then I would still have a tail." Regris finished, watching as Kethe's face fall. "Yes, that's true. But I don't blame you, Kethe. Is Kolivan to blame for agreeing with you?"

"No, he's-" Kethe began.

"-then you are not to blame either." Regris finished. "Still, I do not think I will be fit to run missions for some time. I can barely stand."

The smile Kethe gave him was faint, but still there. "Not so easy, is it?"

"No, it's not." Regris told him. "It seems I'm the one who needs to try now, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Kethe said, "-guess so."


	2. matt side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He'd also heard rumor that there was a Blade on the Castle of Lions- the flagship of the paladins of Voltron, serving as a liaison of some kind. Olia had described him as young, but capable, and just a bit on the odd side- a halfbreed of some kind, if what she had heard was true. Apparently he was on good terms with the paladins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with the next update! And look, Matt's here! The next chapter will be the last one, but only for a short while- I'll revisit this series a bit sooner this time than I did last time, if all goes well.

The first time he met Keith, it was maybe a month before the scheduled launch of the Kerberos mission. He remembers, because Keith was the kind of guy who was hard to forget.

It had been at a commencement party for the mission, a celebration for its crew and staff, and their families. His mom and Pidge were there, until the latter wasn't, their father sneaking her off for a sneak peek of the shuttle they would be using for the mission.

He knew Shiro was somewhere around, but he'd been expecting him to come alone. From the sound of it, things hadn't exactly been going well with his fiancee lately, although he wasn't one to pry. Romantic disputes were not his forte, so he was probably better off not getting involved.

Turned out, Shiro wasn't alone.

He actually wasn't sure how Shiro had gotten clearance to bring Keith to the party. He wasn't exactly family, at least, not in the biological or legal sense. Maybe he had just walked right in with him, and hadn't let anyone dare challenge him. For someone who was touted as the Galaxy Garrison's golden boy, he could be something of a rebel.

In any case, it was his first introduction to Keith Kogane.

And in a sense, his last.

He had heard of him, of course. It was kind of hard _not_ to. He was the prodigy who had been shattering records lately, but at the same time, was viewed as being something of a problem child. He'd heard the word _orphan_ thrown around a few times, and _anger issues_ a few times more than that, but above all, what he had heard about him the most was _talent_.

The next Takashi Shirogane.

(So they were already thinking of replacing him.)

"Keith," Shiro rested a hand on the cadet's shoulder, smiling down at him, "-this is Matthew Holt. He's going to be flying to Kerberos with me."

Holding out his hand, Keith stared at him. "Nice to meet you."

His eyes, Matt thought, were the most interesting color he'd ever seen. He couldn't pinpoint just what they were, exactly. Blue? Gray? _Purple_?

He almost didn't look like he was of this world.

"Nice to meet you too, Keith." Matt said, taking his hand. Kid had a firm grip. "You can call me Matt."

"Any chance Katie's around?" Shiro asked. "I was hoping to finally get a chance to meet her. Maybe introduce her to Keith."

And there was an undertone to his words that he quickly picked up on. He had never heard anything about Keith having friends, which seemed to be a situation that Shiro was hoping to rectify.

"Dad took her to see the shuttle." Matt told him. "I don't think they'll be back for awhile."

"...are they supposed to be doing that?" Keith asked, arching a brow.

"Technically, no." Matt told him, giving him a wink. "But hey- what the Garrison doesn't know, won't hurt them, right?"

Keith just gave him a blank stare- ouch, tough crowd.

"Too bad, I guess." Shiro said. "Maybe I'll get a chance at the launch."

"Hope so." Matt told him. "I think Katie's pretty excited to meet you too. You're basically a hero at our place."

Letting out a chuckle, Shiro modestly dismissed that. "I'm just doing my job."

"Yeah, better than everyone else." Keith muttered, half underneath his breath.

Casting a grin down towards Keith, Shiro ruffled his hair, causing the teen to grumble, swatting his hand away. It just made Shiro laugh, flashing the kind of smile that Matt sometimes wondered if he'd ever get to see again.

When he had been captured by the Galra, he'd thought that would be it. That would be the end of things. He would never get back home, never see his family again. He was going to die here, either rotting away in a cell, or being executed in the gladiator arena.

Until Shiro took away his chances of the latter.

He'd cut him just enough to draw blood, but not enough to actually leave any kind of lasting injury. He was healed and back on his feet in maybe two weeks time- but the Galra didn't have to know that. He'd faked a limp, and it had been enough to keep him from being sent back to the gladiator arena, and put into a work camp.

He'd been hoping to find his father, but he'd had no such luck. He'd apparently already been transferred. Something about being a _valuable scientific asset_. Which hey, what was he- chopped liver?

He didn't spend long at the work camp before he was freed. Rebels, from the borderlands, who raided the ship by chance looking for one of their comrades. They had only been able to break out a handful of prisoners in the same prison block as him, but he'd been one of the lucky few.

He asked them about his father, but they said they didn't know.

They knew about Shiro, though. But what they knew, he knew- _everyone_ had heard the stories of the Champion, and it didn't take him long to realize that they were talking about _Shiro_. They couldn't tell him where to find him, though- the only time anyone knew where he was, was when he was brought to Central Command to fight in matches, and that, of course, was out of the question.

So he became a rebel.

His father was out there somewhere, and he intended to find him. Joining the resistance sounded like it was his best bet. He'd find him, and then go back home. Tell everyone on Earth what was going on out here, maybe bring a rebel or two along as proof, see what they could do to both prepare, and join the fight against Zarkon.

He just didn't expect his sister to come up to space to find him first.

In hindsight, he should have. That was Pidge for you. When she said she'd do something, she usually meant it, no matter how implausible.

Coming up to space to get him if he took too long? Should have taken her at her word.

She was a paladin of Voltron, to boot.

He'd been proud of his sister before, but now? Now he could barely contain his pride. His sister! A paladin!

He had heard the legends of the paladins of Voltron, how they had challenged Zarkon and won. How they were making real, lasting change in the universe, freeing system after system, building a Coalition of planets with the goal of toppling the Galra Empire, once and for all.

And his sister was part of that.

 _And_ she was bringing him back to meet the rest of the paladins.

So yeah- Matt was more than a little bit excited. He was about to meet _legends_.

* * *

In hindsight, he had to wonder how he'd missed the fact that they'd all been human.

Or well- almost all of them.

* * *

"And this is the," suddenly cutting herself short, his sister dropped her voice by several decibels, "-we'll just come back here later."

"...pidge?"

Guilt overcame his sister's features, as she all but flinched at the faint voice that seemed to drift up from the circular couch. His eyes fell on a lump of purple and black, standing out against the white and pale gray of the room. For a moment, he felt his blood freeze, watching as the Galra uncurled itself from the couch, before he exhaled.

He'd heard the rumors, but apparently, they were true.

Olia had briefed him that lately she had been working with the Blade of Marmora, a group of Galran rebels and spies, who had previously been working underground. They had only come to light once they'd forged an alliance with Voltron, enacting a plan that brought Zarkon's reign to an end.

He'd also heard rumor that there was one on the Castle of Lions- the flagship of the paladins of Voltron, serving as a liaison of some kind. Olia had described him as young, but capable, and just a bit on the odd side- a halfbreed of some kind, if what she had heard was true. Apparently he was on good terms with the paladins.

So yes, he guessed he sort of expected to find a Galra on the Castle of Lions. He just hadn't expected to find them fast asleep, curled up like a cat. Nor did he expect his sister to wave her hands in front of her, desperate to lull him back to sleep.

"Uh, this is a dream...?"

Cracking one golden eye open, the Galra merely stared blankly at Pidge. "...why do people keep doing that?"

Groaning, Pidge hung her head. "Can't blame me for trying."

Keeping one eye on the Galra, Matt dimly heard Pidge say something that this was the lounge, where they just hung out. It wasn't the presence of a Galra that was bothering him- his sister obviously didn't think much of his presence here, and if she didn't, he was going to trust her.

It was just... there was something vaguely _familiar_ about this one.

They were clad in Blade of Marmora armor, which didn't look as if it was the most comfortable thing to sleep in. The color of their hair struck him- black, a color he didn't see often, if ever, on the Galra. It was braided, the Galra looping it around their neck as they slowly uncurled themselves.

Galra with tails weren't exactly common, and he couldn't help but notice that this one had one akin to a lion's. There was a tuft of black fur at the end, that matched the color of his hair- although the sheen of it was a bit different. In the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the irony, and had to wonder if the reason he'd been chosen for his position was because of his lion's tail.

Probably not, but hey- a guy could dream.

Letting out a loud yawn, the Galra slowly blinked, now in a sitting position. His tail flicked lazily behind him, casting a curious eye up towards Matt. "...this your brother?"

Wait.

That voice.

He _knew_ that voice. But where had he...?

No. No way. That- that didn't make any sense. How could...?

"Wha- _Keith!?_ "

Oh man, he hadn't meant to blurt that out. What if he was wrong? He _had_ to be wrong, there was no way this could have been _Keith Kogane_. Even if the closer he looked, the more apparent it became that they shared some of the same facial features, even if their voices were the same, none of that mattered because this couldn't possibly be-

"You know me?"

The Galra was now staring straight at him, golden eyes locked onto him. Like countless others he had seen, there was no trace of a pupil, making them hard to read.

Nothing like the otherworldly eyes whose color he couldn't quite make out.

"Wait," Pidge frowned, turning sharply on her heel, "-Matt, you knew Keith?"

"I-" Matt opened his mouth to begin, before firmly shutting it, looking between his sister and then at the Galra that apparently _was_ Keith. "I mean, I met him once at the commencement party, but-"

Shiro. He thought he'd been acting a little odd, when he'd spoken to him. Like he had some kind of secret joke, or something. Suddenly turning on his heel, he squinted, trying to see if he had been following them or not, if this was all some kind of elaborate prank.

But no.

Looking back at Keith, that was no costume. The way his ears perked when he looked back in his direction, there was no way to fake that. Nor the effortless grace with which he mounted the couch, coming to stand in front of him, peering curiously up at his face.

Besides, Shiro wasn't much of one for pranks.

Heaving a sigh, Pidge rubbed her forehead. "Okay, if I knew that, I would have given you some kind of warning. You heard the rumors that the red paladin of Voltron had been captured, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but I thought those were just _rumors_." Matt told her. "I thought- doesn't Princess Allura fly the red lion?"

"She did, temporarily." Pidge told her. "But it picked Keith first."

"I have amnesia." Keith suddenly supplied. "So if you knew me, sorry, I don't know you."

Okay, that explained why he didn't seem to recognize him. He sort of just assumed that he hadn't proven himself to be that memorable, but guess not. But amnesia didn't explain everything, not by a long shot.

And boy, was there a lot here to explain.

Starting with- how was Keith _Galra_? _Why_ was Keith Galra? Where did he get amnesia from? Why was he with the Blade of Marmora? Why hadn't Shiro thought to mention this to him, that jerk?!

"Keith, you got your memories stolen by a spooky space witch." Pidge told him, which was one hell of a statement to throw out there so casually. "Kind of not the same thing as amnesia."

Keith merely shrugged. "Amnesia takes less time to say."

"Wait- hold up. What's this about a spooky space witch?" Matt asked, holding up his hands. "Is that why Keith's Galra now? Is this- is this some kind of curse? It's not contagious, is it?"

What was he, like a _were-Galra_ or something? Oh no, what if he _was_ contagious? Purple was not his color, and he didn't know the first thing about proper fur care! Not on himself!

"Basically, Keith got caught, Haggar-," and he didn't miss the sharp way Keith's eyes narrowed at the name, nor the way his fur bristled, "-found out he was half-Galra, and now we have the Keith that stands here today."

"I'm getting the feeling you left like, a ton of stuff out." Matt noted, before pausing, rolling back what she said a bit. "...also wait. You mean to tell me that all this time, there was an alien enrolled at the Galaxy Garrison."

"I mean, we don't know if Keith _knew_ or not, but... yeah?" Pidge told him.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that past me was an elusive asshole." Keith muttered, seemingly half to himself. "So you're... Pidge's brother, right? The one she was looking for?"

Blinking, Matt took a moment to study Keith. He was looking at him with what he now recognized as marked curiosity- it kind of reminded him of a cat, in a way. As strange as it was to introduce himself to someone he'd already met, he guessed Keith wouldn't know who he was, would he?

That... that must suck.

Did that mean he didn't remember _Shiro_ either? He winced at the thought. They had been so close- how was he handling it?

"Oh, uh, yeah." Holding out his hand, Matt gave him an awkward smile. "I'm Matt."

Nodding his head, Keith gripped his forearm, a gesture that had him blink. It was a decidedly Galran one- he had seen it a number of times before. Combined with the Blade of Marmora armor, he had to wonder how long Keith had been entrenched in Galran society after losing his memories.

"Matt," Keith repeated, "-I'm Keith. Kethe works too."

Enough to get a new name, apparently.

He wanted to ask about it, but didn't get the chance. The doors to the lounge slid open, Hunk creeping in- only for a half a step, before his eyes fell on Keith.

"Aw man, you guys woke up Keith?" He asked. "How could you?"

"I tried not to!" Pidge protested.

"Yeah, but I told you he was napping in the lounge!" Hunk pointed out. Oh, so _that's_ what he'd said to her when he'd pulled her aside for a second. He'd been wondering about that. "I told you, _very specifically_ , that he'd just come back from a big Blade mission, and that he was exhausted, so you just needed to let him rest."

"I forgot, okay!" Pidge huffed.

"Forgot? It was like, half an hour ago, Pidge!" Hunk said.

"I don't mind." Keith frowned. "I wanted to meet Pidge's brother too. Although it turns out we've already met...?"

"To be fair," Matt told him, "-it was just the one time. I wouldn't stress about it, dude."

Nodding his head, the tip of Keith's tail twitched, as he took notice of the tray Hunk was carrying. He could have sworn he saw his nose twitch, like he was sniffing the air. "What's that?"

"Oh!" Glancing down, as if he had forgotten what he was carrying himself, Hunk beamed. "Milkshakes! Since you know, Matt is here and all, I thought I'd whip up something special for the occasion. Made one for you too, Keith! Was just gonna leave it here with a note, but I guess you're awake now, so-!"

Keith frowned at that, his brows knitting together. "You shook milk?"

"Just a name, buddy." Hunk told him.

"Wait," frowning, Matt glance down at Keith, "-you don't know what a _milkshake_ is?"

"Like I said," Pidge began, pausing to sip her own milkshake, which he hadn't even noticed she'd taken, before she continued, "-Keith had his memories stolen by a space witch. _All_ of them."

All of-? Yikes.

He'd thought she just meant his personal memory, but from the sound of it, she'd taken way more than that from him. That _had_ to be rough. Granted, he didn't understand how it worked like, at all, nor what Haggar would even want with them, but still- rough.

He knew who Haggar was, recognized that name. He had heard it whispered by prisoners before, always in a fearful manner, more so than the druids. At the time, the only thing he knew about her was that she was clearly someone to avoid, and the more he learned about her as a rebel, the more his early thoughts were just confirmed.

So for Keith to have attracted her attention... bad. That was clearly bad.

Taking one of the milkshakes from the tray, Keith peered down at it curiously. Giving it a sniff, he frowned, before taking a small sip, his tail perking up. "It's sweet!"

...okay, that was cute, though.

"Regris tried to drink his in one gulp- which, trust me, bad choice." Hunk noted. "Guess Galra get brain freeze. _Alteans_ , on the other hand... man, I have _never_ seen someone drink a milkshake so fast. Allura and Coran totally just demolished theirs."

"So don't drink it fast." Keith said. "Got it."

Watching as Keith took his milkshake with him back to the couches, he watched as his tail curled around his waist, darting out of the way so that he didn't sit on it. To be frank, he was still reeling from everything that he had learned in like, the past ten minutes, but that just about summed up like, his entire time in space.

Except... had Keith _really_ not known he was part Galra? What if he'd...?

No. Nope. Not going there.

Even if he knew, he seriously doubted the kid that had followed Shiro like a shadow at the commencement party would have ever sold him out to an evil alien empire. No, that was pure coincidence. Besides- why capture and steal the memories of one of your own agents? It didn't make any sense.

Unless Keith was a traitor, which- no, that still didn't make sense.

"So," it was Hunk's voice that broke through his thoughts, "-what have you been doing all this time?"

* * *

"We went to an alternate reality once. It was lame."

Keith, _fervently_ , nodded his head in agreement.

(He didn't find out about the _hoktril_ until later. Alternate realities- officially canceled.)

* * *

God, what a day.

First, he'd found his sister- okay, so his sister had found _him_ , he'd be fair- then found out she was a _paladin_ , then he met the _rest_ of the paladins, one of whom turned out to be _Shiro_ , flown in _Voltron_ , learned Emperor Zarkon was still alive, and now Prince Lotor was an enemy of the state.

And there was the whole _Keith_ thing. That too.

All that, in just one day.

No wonder he was so goddamn tired.

He simply was not built for this. Closing his eyes, he didn't even care he had missed the couch, by like, _miles_ , and was basically just lying on the floor, with only his legs having actually made it. He had spent the last hour in a call with Captain Olia and Lieutenant Ozar, going over what this new information meant, and all he wanted to do now was just take a chance to relax.

"You okay?"

Snapping his eyes open, he jerked up at the sound of the voice. Which- yeah, bad choice, since he ended up colliding with it. Literally.

Oh god, he'd just headbutted _Keith_.

Clutching at his forehead, Keith glared at him with accusation, tail thrashing wildly behind him. He had changed out of his Blade armor- now wearing what could only be casual clothes. Earth fashion, he thought. "What did you do that for!?"

"I- you startled me!" Matt blurted out.

Keith let out a low growl, baring his teeth at him. It would have been intimidating, were it not for the fact that he was still nursing his forehead. The feeling was mutual, though- holy crap, did Keith ever have a hard head.

Note to self- never headbutt a Galra.

"I swear, I didn't do it on purpose!" Matt said quickly. "I didn't even know you were here!"

Frowning, Keith still didn't look happy, but at least he wasn't growling at him anymore. Dropping his hand from his forehead, he shuffled back, presumably so that he was out of range of any further forehead based attacks. Guess his Blade of Marmora training hadn't prepared him for them.

"So this is the thanks I get for coming to check up on you." He grumbled, visibly pouting. "You _attack_ me."

Grunting, he swung his legs off the couch- making sure they went in the opposite direction of Keith, just in case he thought that was another attack. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he watched as Keith tensed, eyeing him with suspicion.

"I swear to God, I didn't mean to." Matt told him. "And wait- you came to check on me?"

Brow furrowing, Keith slowly nodded his head. "I couldn't find you."

Wait, Keith had been looking for him? Why?

"I mean, I'm fine." Matt told him. "Just a bit wiped. It's been a long day."

Nodding his head, he watched as Keith slowly relaxed, apparently deciding he wasn't a threat. "Your family found you."

Blinking, Matt frowned. He would have thought that he would have gone for like, Zarkon being alive, or Lotor being an outlaw, but no, he'd gone for Pidge. Thinking back on it, Keith had been an orphan, hadn't he?

Except- he didn't remember that, did he? Or had someone told him?

...actually, _was_ Keith an orphan? If he was half-Galra, then logically, one of his parents had to have been Galra, so in that case, there was a chance that one of them was actually _alive_.

"I- yeah." Nodding his head, Matt beamed, trying not to dwell too long on it. "That she did."

For a long time, all Keith did was stare at him. He wasn't going to lie, it kind of made him nervous. Maybe it was just the eyes- he couldn't read him at all- but his expression was totally blank.

"Shiro told me it was my mother who was Galra. Probably."

And that was a sudden admission he did not expect. He hadn't even _asked_. I mean- he'd thought about it, but what was he, a mind reader?

Oh no. Telepathic Galra. His second greatest fear.

"I'm going to look for her." Keith said, just as suddenly. "I hope you find your father."

Oh- _oh_! He was trying to relate!

Aw, that was sweet! Awkward, but sweet. _No_ idea what brought it on, but hey- he'd take it.

"I hope you find your mom." Matt told him, meaning every word of it.

Nodding his head, Keith still seemed to frown, and then, without warning, drew a knife. The action made him jump, but thankfully Keith either didn't notice, or didn't think much of it. "She's Blade of Marmora. This knife is hers. I think Kolivan knows who she is, but he won't tell me."

Huh. He didn't remember Keith being this willing to talk about himself- but uh, guess maybe losing his memory had sort of affected his personality. Or was this his attempt to get to know him? Talk about something they sort of had in common? Missing parents?

"Maybe she's deep cover?" Matt suggested.

"That's what I think." Keith agreed, mercifully sheathing the knife. "What's your mom like?"

Yep, definitely trying to get to know him. Just painfully, painfully awkward about it. Granted, the Keith he knew hadn't _exactly_ had an abundance of social skills- clearly amnesia had done them no favor.

"Uh, nice?" Matt frowned. "She made the _best_ peanut butter cookies. And uh- smart, too. Always- always knew what to say when I was feeling down. Or Pidge."

Aw man, now he missed her.

Or well, he _always_ missed her, but now he missed her more than he usually did. At least he knew she was safe on Earth, unlike his father, which helped. But it didn't change the feeling of wanting to see her again.

Now, with Voltron, maybe that would become possible.

He was pretty sure Keith hadn't meant to do that, though. How could someone who didn't remember his own family know what it was like to miss them?

That sounded a bit mean. He'd just keep that to himself.

Keith, for his part, seemed to hang on every word. It struck him that he must not know what it was like to have a parent child relationship, a realization that stung. Even if he was an orphan, it would have still been something he would have known at some point in his life, and now it was just... gone.

Christ, having your memories stolen by a spooky space witch sounded like it _stunk_.

"I'll help you look," Keith spoke up, just as sudden as before, "-for your father."

"Thanks, Keith." Matt told him. "That means a lot."

"There's nothing in the Blade of Marmora database, in case you were wondering." Keith told him. "I checked."

Ah, too bad. He was just about to ask that, actually. "Ah well. Can't be that easy, right?"

Shaking his head, Keith frowned. "Wish it was. Pidge seems to miss him. She missed you. Although," tilting his head, he added, "-she did forget to tell me about you until like, a few weeks ago? I think she forgot I forgot."

Frowning, Matt folded his arms in front of him. "Well now I just feel offended."

Cracking a faint grin, Keith caught the sarcasm. "She felt pretty embarrassed."

"As she should," Matt told him, placing a hand on his chest, puffing it out, "-I'm great, how _dare_ she forget about me?"

Keith flinched at that, smile falling off his face. He jolted to his feet so quickly, it nearly gave him whiplash, and it was only then that he fully realized just what he had said.

Oh.

Oh shit.

"Wait, Keith, that's not what I-!"

And he was gone.

Groaning, Matt hung his head. Christ, way to blow it. He'd basically just told Keith that forgetting him was like, some kind of _crime_. Even if he'd clearly meant it as a joke, that had to have some sting to it.

Right. Smacking either side of his face, Matt jolted to his feet. He'd fucked up, but he could fix this.

* * *

"I messed up."

"You can fix it."

"He's avoiding me."

"He'll stop eventually."

Letting out a loud groan, Matt peered up at Shiro. He had spent the past three days trying to chase Keith down, hoping to get a chance to apologize for his blunder, to explain it had just been a thoughtless joke. Except Keith had been avoiding him, and tracking down someone with stealth training when they were trying not to be found was like, next to impossible.

"Let me guess," not lifting his head from the table, Matt locked eyes with Shiro, "-patience yields focus."

He didn't miss the twinkle in Shiro's eyes when he said that. "Now you're starting to get it."

Blowing out a breath, Matt pushed himself up, resting his elbow on the table and promptly planting his chin in his hands. "Got any Keith wrangling tips?"

"Not as of late, no." Shiro told him. "You could try asking Regris."

Regris was the other Blade stationed at the Castle of Lions, he'd learned. He was in recovery, trying to learn to compensate for a missing limb. He'd been confused about that at first, before he saw the stump where what would have once been his tail ended.

Apparently Pidge was working together with Hunk to rig up some kind of a prosthetic, but they had apparently hit some kind of wall. Building a prosthetic tail was not the same as building an arm or a leg, which was why it just wasn't usually done.

He hadn't talked to the guy much, but from what he understood, he had been Keith's mentor during his time at the Blade of Marmora. They had found him first, taking care of him for months before Voltron came along, hoping to ally with them. Pidge had told him the whole story later, when things had calmed down a bit, and man- was it ever a wild ride.

Regris also seemed to have the same kind of relationship that Keith had with Shiro- only, Keith _didn't_ have that relationship with Shiro anymore. They weren't exactly strangers, but their bond didn't hold the same strength it once did. He kind of wanted to ask him about it, make sure that he was holding up okay- but like, one problem at a time.

"No way, he's gonna be on Keith's side for sure." Matt told him.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Shiro said, giving him a faint smile. "Give it a shot."

Frowning, Matt stared at him, trying to determine if he was pulling his leg or not- maybe he found some kind of amusement in his wild goose chase, for all he knew. Shiro's sense of humor did sometimes tend to be a little skewed.

"Fine," dropping his hands, he got out of his chair, "-guess I'll ask Regris."

"...don't you want to know where Regris _is_ , first?"

"...that might help."

* * *

Regris hand delivered Keith to him the next day.

As in, he literally brought him to the guest quarters in which he was staying, dropped him off, and then left. An incredible feat for someone who could barely balance, but he guessed that was to be expected of a member of the Blade of Marmora.

"Sorry," he blurted it out, quick as he could, just in case Keith decided to bolt, "-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said. I meant it as a joke, but I didn't think it through."

For a long moment, Keith remained silent, unreadable.

"...I should be the one who's sorry."

Blinking, Matt frowned. "For what?"

"...for avoiding you."

"Pssh," brushing it off with a wave of his hand, Matt just grinned, "-it's fine. I mean, it was a pain in the ass, but it's fine."

"Regris says I was being _childish_." Keith told him, tail flicking in irritation behind him.

Running away from your problems? Like, _physically_ running away from them? Yeah, maybe just a little. However, he'd developed a rather keen set of instincts from fighting the Galra Empire for a year now, if he did say so himself, so in his great wisdom, he decided it was probably better not to say that out loud.

"So," Keith looked up at him with a slight frown, "-you're not upset that I forget you?"

"Promise." Matt told him, giving him a grin. "We only met like, once. I'd have to be a _total_ asshole to get angry with you because of that."

Slowly nodding his head, he watched as Keith visibly relaxed at his words. Huh. Maybe the reason he had gotten so upset was because that was exactly what he was afraid of- that maybe not everyone would be as understanding as the paladins had been.

Suddenly, running away from his problems didn't seem so childish. The scale of his problems was like, huge. Heck, he'd probably run away too.

"So," holding out his arm, he locked eyes with Keith, "-we friends?"

Perking up, Keith gave him a faint smile, grasping his forearm. "Yeah. Friends."

Keith still, he thought, had a firm grip.


	3. shiro side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Which wasn't to say the void hadn't been shrinking lately- it had. Keith had nearly a year's worth of memories to him now, and while it would never make up for the eighteen he'd lost, it was at least something. More than had been there before, at any rate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guess this is my last update before season seven comes out! I probably won't be working on anything new until after I watch all the episodes, which might take me awhile- I wanna make sure I'm all caught up on canon! So, until next time!

Sometimes it felt like between learning Zarkon was still alive, and Lotor being declared an enemy of the state, they'd had no time to rest. Even _he_ was starting to get a bit worn out. So when Voltron seemed to be moving a bit more sluggish than usual, it wasn't like he didn't understand.

"Alright team," Shiro began, keeping his voice steady- he had to set the example at times like this, "-I know we just wrapped up a big mission, but let's not lose focus just yet."

That earned him the usual assortment of groans, which he took in good humor. Aside from him, the rest of the paladins were just teenagers. They might have been fighting against the Galra Empire for awhile now, but it didn't change the fact that it hadn't been that long ago that they were all living normal lives, back on Earth.

Even if one of them didn't remember that.

Though from the sound of it, even Keith was a bit tired. Not that he could blame him- he'd _just_ gotten back from a mission with the Blade of Marmora when they had gotten the distress call. He'd asked if he wanted to let Allura fly the mission instead, but Keith had refused, saying that he'd rather do it himself.

Once it became clear to it that they had no intention of trying to replace Keith, the red lion would periodically allow Allura to fly it. Mostly it was when Keith wasn't available- it didn't happen often, but there were occasions when his work with the Blade of Marmora drew him away from the castle-ship at crucial times.

With Regris out of action for the moment, that was one less Blade Kolivan had to call on. With their number stretched thin, sometimes he had no choice but to call on Keith, even when there might be a possible conflict of interest between his paladin and Blade duties. So having someone around who could pilot the red lion in a pinch was huge help.

Keith, for his part, didn't mind either.

He knew the red lion had once been flown by Allura's father, which made him sensitive to his status as its current paladin. Though Allura had made leaps when it came to accepting the Galra as allies since they had formed an alliance with the Blade of Marmora, Shiro knew that Keith tended to worry about these things, long after they ceased to be an issue.

He'd... kind of been hoping that was something that might have changed, but it would seem that not all of the issues that had plagued him growing up had disappeared with his memory loss. Even if they were now coming from a different place than before.

Keith had abandonment issues.

_Kethe_ had identity issues.

Both required their own set of rules, which Shiro was only just now beginning to learn. Even he hadn't instantly known which buttons he could and couldn't press around Keith when they'd first met- there were times when it hadn't been smooth sailing. It didn't come as a surprise to him that he'd have to learn them all over again.

Which he was more than willing to do. Because whatever form he took, Keith was still like a brother to him, and he meant to keep that promise of his- that he would never give up on him.

Even if he was the only one that remembered it.

"Just for a little bit longer." Shiro told them. "The Zephyrions won't be able to fix this damage all on their own, and the faster we get it repaired, the better."

"Not to mention," Allura's voice chimed in, "-that helping to repair what we damaged while trying to free their planet will go a long way to encourage them to join the Coalition."

"Next time, maybe we should try to like, not damage anything at all." Hunk said, which earned him several grunts of agreement.

"Hunk's right." Pidge said. "We need to be more careful. We should have noticed sooner that Galra cruiser was trying to draw us towards the city."

"Ugh, no offense you two, but can we asses what we did wrong like, later?" Lance whined, though he'd probably deny it. "I'm pooped. I just want to concentrate on fixing this energy generator or whatever, and then crash for like, forever."

"What," Keith let out a faint laugh, "-no parade?"

"You know, I never thought I'd say this, but let's just postpone the parade." Lance said. "Maybe if Pidge hadn't woken me up at like, seven in the morning-"

"Hey, _you're_ the one who wanted me to rig up a way to connect that stereo you bought at the space mall to the ship's central power system." Pidge cut in. "Not to mention tune the radio so that it picked up on interstellar radio transmissions, which let me tell you, was not easy."

"Yeah, but did you have to wake me up at _seven_ for it?" Lance asked.

Even without the visual, Shiro could easily picture Pidge's deadpan expression. "I stayed up all night working on it, so yes."

"Why were you even still asleep at seven anyways?" Keith asked. "Isn't that a normal time to-"

"Nope, I don't want to hear criticism of my sleeping habits from the guy who takes literal cat naps." Lance said, cutting Keith off. "Point is, I'm tired."

"Don't worry, I'll handle the diplomacy with Allura. Lance, you and Pidge can get some sleep." Shiro told him, letting out a faint chuckle. "Hunk, you feeling up to it?"

"Yeah, I guess I've got like, a few more hours in me." Hunk said. "Coran said something about a spice market, so I was hoping to get the chance to check it out. Keith, you want to come?"

There was a pause of silence at his question.

"No offense Hunk," Keith said, his own tone remarkably steady, "-but we just freed these people from the Galra. I'm not sure they're ready to have one wandering around their market."

He could almost see Hunk flinch. "Oh. Right."

It wasn't like they ever _forgot_ that Keith looked Galra now- but they had just... well, gotten used to it. This was his new normal, and over the past three months, they had all accepted that, even Allura. Most of the time, they didn't even think that much of it.

It was easy to forget that the rest of the universe wasn't necessarily going to feel the same way. It was why in the public eye, Allura was still the face of the red lion.

Sensing the awkward mood, Keith quickly made an attempt to smooth it over. "Maybe some other time?"

"Yeah, yeah," Hunk quickly agreed, "-another time sounds good. That nose of yours comes in handy."

"Right, so then it's settled." Shiro said. "Hunk, you'll come planetside with Allura and I, and we'll try to get to that spice market of yours after we wrap things up with the Zephyrions. Pidge, Lance, you two can head back to the castle-ship, get some rest. Keith, why don't you try and get some too?"

"I might just take you up on that." Keith replied, letting out a loud yawn. "You don't think you'll need me?"

"If we do, we can just ask Regris." Shiro told him. "I don't think he'll mind playing negotiator for awhile."

He didn't think they would- there were no Galran civilian outposts on this planet, no training academies of any kind. There was a single military base, but he couldn't imagine any of them choosing to surrender.

It helped to have a Galra around on such occasions. Usually that task fell on Keith, under the supervision of Allura, of course- negotiation wasn't exactly his strong suit. But since Regris had joined them, he'd taken up some of the slack.

No offense to Keith, but he was probably better at it.

Granted, not all of it was Keith's fault.

His age was apparently hard for other Galra to gauge- based on his height, he was usually pegged for being a lot younger than he actually was. Granted, for a race that lived as long as the Galra, eighteen was still incredibly young, but it was still squarely within the realm of adolescence, rather than outright childhood.

...he tried not to think too much about the Galra lifespan.

Someday, he'd probably have to- they'd probably _all_ have to- but until that time came, that, at least, they could put off.

There was also the question of whether Keith would keep growing, or if he had reached his maximum height. He tried to picture Keith being as tall as Kolivan, and failed- that would be something that would take some getting used to.

There were actually still a lot of questions left unanswered about Keith, but short of knocking on Haggar's door and asking her, they had no way of getting them. All the transmissions that Ulaz had intercepted from the prison ship Keith had been kept on had been destroyed when he'd sacrificed himself, so all they had was the small amount he'd managed to decode beforehand.

Which basically just told them what the already knew- where and when Keith had been captured.

In terms of examinations, he'd been checked over three different times. Once, when the Blade of Marmora had taken him in, and then again when Allura had begrudgingly accepted him back into the fold, which had been done by Coran. As for the third, it had been performed by the Olkari, upon Keith's request.

Apparently he wanted to make _absolutely certain_ that Haggar didn't have any way of controlling him. For which he couldn't blame him- heck, he'd had himself checked out after that, given that in the year he'd been a prisoner of the Empire, he'd gotten her personal attention.

Ryner agreed to keep quiet about it, and outside of the Castle of Lions, she was one of the few who knew about Keith's condition. When they had freed Olkarion, Allura was still serving as the red paladin in his place, so while she'd been surprised by the development, she had barely so much as batted an eye at their story.

Even within the Blade of Marmora, Keith's status at the red paladin was kept a secret. That had been Kolivan's idea- outside of Antok and Thace, both of who were gone now, Regris was the only one who knew. As far as the rest of the Blade knew, the only reason Keith was on the Castle of Lions was to serve as their direct liaison.

He wished they could be more public about it.

But so long as Keith himself didn't want it, he wasn't about to go behind his back and reveal the truth.

But he also knew that even with Allura serving as the red lion's public face, they couldn't keep this up forever. Something would have to change eventually, and he'd just rather they have a choice in both the _when_ and the _how_.

He could understand why people might be apprehensive about the idea of a Galra paladin given how it had turned out the last time. But Keith was no Zarkon- he wasn't anywhere close to being like him. Maybe he wasn't always the best at expressing it, but he had always been someone who cared deeply about people.

It'd take a lot more than memory loss to change that.

He'd seen that much from the way he'd tried to take care of them when they'd all caught his cold, and in the way he did his best to help Regris adjust to losing his tail. The way he hadn't even paid attention to his own injuries when he had dragged Regris out of the red lion, hovering by Coran's side during the entire time it took to get him processed and into a healing pod.

He was awkward as ever about it, but it showed.

He just wished other people could see that, like he could.

"Alright team," Shiro began, pulling himself out of his own thoughts, "-let's wrap this up."

* * *

It wasn't often that Keith came back as injured as he did during that one mission with Regris, but it did happen. Today wasn't as bad as it had been then- he wouldn't need the healing pod, at the very least. Just a bit of good old fashioned first aid, as Coran had put it.

Didn't mean he couldn't fuss over him.

Sucking in his teeth, Keith clearly fought the urge to swat his hand away. Guess no matter what the species, no one liked having their injuries disinfected.

"I'll be done in a second." Shiro told him. "Just sit still. This isn't easy with all your fur in the way."

Tail twitching, Keith's lips curled into a tight frown. "Sorry for having fur."

Honestly, if it wasn't for the fur, he might actually forget that the disgruntled teen before him had changed at all. He'd heard from Lance that Keith had fussed about it when he'd tried to wipe down his sweat back when he was sick, so he guessed while he'd become easier to take care of, he could still be stubborn about it in places.

Granted, that was one change Shiro didn't mind so much.

Letting out a faint hiss as Shiro pressed the alcohol soaked cloth up against the cut on his face, Keith bit down on his lip. Thankfully, that was the last of them- he'd miscalculated his escape, and had apparently gotten cut up by some shrapnel. Nothing serious, but better not to ignore it, either.

"Coran gave me some salve that should speed up your healing." Shiro told him. "Now it doesn't smell great, but-"

He didn't even have to open the jar to cause Keith to crinkle his nose. Right. If it smelled bad to him, he could only imagine how much worse it smelled to Keith.

"-I take it that's a no."

"That's a no." Keith confirmed, pushing the jar away with his hand.

Letting out a faint chuckle, Shiro put the jar back away. "Just make sure to keep them clean. We can't exactly stick a plaster on over fur."

At least Keith's coat was short- he'd seen some Galra with pretty thick coats of fur. And if he'd learned one thing from Keith being Galra, it was that they shed.

_A lot._

"I can take care of myself, Shiro." Keith told him. "...but thanks."

Getting to his feet, Shiro gave him a smile. "No thanks necessary. Just try to be a little more careful next time."

He knew that risks were part of the job- but it didn't mean he had to like it. Not when he'd seen Blades die, sacrifice themselves for the cause. While the same could be said of being a paladin, there was no doubt that the work the Blades did was usually the more dangerous.

They didn't have the luxury of doing it from one of the most powerful weapons in the universe.

"I'm always careful." Keith told him, jumping down from the examination table.

Merely arching a brow, Shiro let out a faint chuckle. "Pretty sure I've heard you say that before."

Frowning, Keith narrowed his eyes. "I thought we agreed not to hold me accountable to anything past me might have said."

Holding up his hands, Shiro gave him a faint grin. "Fair enough."

Keith still wasn't entirely comfortable with the subject of his past, not just yet- but he was a bit more at ease with it than before. While he was still afraid to take that plunge into anything too deep, he would skim the surface at times, periodically chancing questions that didn't seem as if they would be too revealing.

Finding out where the boundary lay was... tricky, to say the least. Lance had crossed it the other day, when Keith had finally asked about the Galaxy Garrison. Apparently while he was ready to hear about it from a general perspective, he wasn't nearly ready to be regaled with stories that featured him as a main character.

(Or an _antagonist_ , at least from Lance's point of view.)

Keith had snapped at Lance before storming out- but they'd made up since then.

It was a delicate balance, he'd admit. Even he had times when he thought he'd said too much. He'd never pushed Keith's limit- not yet, though if he was going to be honest, he had to admit that he was a bit worried that maybe _Keith_ wasn't being completely honest with him.

He didn't know where he'd heard it from, but it was obvious that he'd heard what kind of relationship the two of them used to have from somewhere. Keith never actually _said_ anything about it, but it wasn't that hard to pick up on- it was in the way he'd sometimes look away from him, or in the way he'd catch just a hint of guilt in his eyes.

Made sense. He was the only person here that Keith had actually been close to.

Part of him couldn't help but worry that Keith was giving him more leeway than he was actually entirely comfortable with, all because he thought he had to. He didn't- Keith didn't owe him the kind of relationship that they had before, not when it had taken so much time to build up in the first place.

_If_ they ever grew that close again, he wanted it to happen organically.

No matter how much he missed it.

Guess Keith had become just as important to him as he'd been to Keith. Funny- he hadn't even noticed it before.

Guess what they said was true- sometimes you really didn't realize what you had, until it was gone. He thought he'd understood that after Adam left, but he guessed there were some lessons you just had to learn more than once.

...god, Adam. How would he explain any of this to him?

Provided they ever got back to Earth, that was.

"Shiro?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized that Keith was peering up at him, head slightly tilted. Maybe Lance was onto something after all with the whole _purple space cat_ thing, since there was just something about his posture that brought one to mind.

"You spaced out." Keith told him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a lot on my mind these days." Shiro told him. "Between Zarkon and Lotor, there's a lot to think about lately."

It wasn't entirely the truth, but it wasn't a lie either. He had been thinking a lot about the two of them- namely, how he could take advantage of Zarkon's near obsessive manhunt for his son to strike a blow against the empire.

Nodding his head, Keith seemed to accept that. "Kolivan says that Zarkon has gone as far as to abandon the royal flagship to hunt for Lotor."

"Guess Lotor trying to make his own trans-reality ships really ticked him off." Shiro observed. "But it doesn't really surprise me. Our plan wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it had if he didn't have such a singular focus on the black lion."

"Still not well enough." Keith frowned.

Ah, yeah, that was true. But considering the circumstances, he'd say they had done pretty well- it had only been the second time they had formed Voltron since Keith had returned to them, and only the first time they had done it since recognizing him _as_ Keith.

The void that was his mindscape hadn't been any better, but as long as they didn't come too close to it, it couldn't hurt them. Not that he thought Keith would let it- if anything, he seemed especially conscious of it. When they were connected by the paladin bond, he could see into their heads just as easily as they could see into his- and while he tried not to touch them too deeply, he'd felt him prod at their minds from his end of the bond every once in awhile.

It probably made him all too aware just how different he was from them.

Which wasn't to say the void hadn't been shrinking lately- it had. Keith had nearly a year's worth of memories to him now, and while it would never make up for the eighteen he'd lost, it was at least _something_. More than had been there before, at any rate.

"At least this proves that he hasn't learned from his mistakes." Shiro pointed out. "Both Voltron and the Coalition are growing stronger everyday. It won't be long now before we're ready for another large scale assault."

"But," Shiro added, "-speaking of getting stronger, training deck's off limits for today."

Hm. Watching Keith's fur bristle, his tail stand on end, Shiro could only think one thing- yeah, Lance was pretty spot on with that space cat thing after all.

...he'd keep that to himself.

* * *

Out of all the places he expected to find Allura, sitting on the floor, surrounded by dusty old books was not one of them. She must have been there for quite some time, too- if how bored the space mice looked was anything to go off of.

Without the four of them, he doubted she would have even noticed him.

It was Platt who scrambled up her shoulder, squeaking something into her ear. Looking up with a start, Allura looked properly sheepish, as if she hadn't realized the degree to which she was engrossed by her research.

"Shiro," giving him an apologetic smile, she brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "-is there something you need?"

It was rare to see the princess look disheveled- and he wouldn't say right now totally qualified, but it was about as close as he'd seen her come to it. She must have noticed, because he caught her trying to smooth out the wrinkles in her gown, trying to once again make herself look presentable.

"Just thought I should let you know that our mission went safely." Shiro told her.

"Your- oh! Yes, of course. That is very good to hear." Allura told him.

Arching a brow, Shiro couldn't help but be a bit amused. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"...I have been a bit distracted, I will admit." Allura confessed. "I take it then that there were no problems in escorting the refugees?"

"The Olkari are getting them sorted as we speak." Shiro told her. "So what have you been working on, that's got you so distracted?"

Frowning, Allura looked as if she was contemplating her answer. "I discovered these books when I was going through father's room the other day," Allura began- and he did not miss the way her face fell as she spoke of the man, nor could he blame her, "-and I thought I would try to sort through them. They are all pertaining to Altean alchemy, so I thought perhaps they might be able to give me some kind of clue."

It wasn't hard for him to guess what she meant.

"You mean about Keith."

"Yes," Allura said, "-that was my hope."

Taking a seat in front of her, Shiro peered down at the books. He didn't understand a single word, but then again, he couldn't read Altean. Pidge had been trying to learn, but she hadn't been making much headway.

"So," he began, "-you find anything?"

"No, I am afraid not." Allura said, shaking her head, before pausing. "Nothing that would help, at the very least."

Lifting his brows, Shiro looked up at her. "So you did find _something_."

"Well... not so much _found_ something, as confirmed what I already thought." Allura told him. "There is a passing mention, here," fingers tracing the passage to which she referred to, she let her eyes trace it just the same, "-about some kind of ritual involving memory. But I am afraid I have not been able to find any kind of detail regarding it, and I am not sure it would help, even if I did."

"It is possible, however," Allura told him, sparing him a slight look, "-that the witch might have done something similar, in order to rob Keith of his memories."

"So you think she might have done this... memory ritual?" Shiro asked.

"I cannot be certain." Allura told him. "Haggar _must_ be Honerva, the alchemist that my father assigned to study the rift. So while it is possible that she could know it, I cannot say for certain that if she would be able to _recall_ it, not with the way her mind has been poisoned by quintessence."

Nodding his head, Shiro recalled the story that they had all been told- about how Voltron had come to be, and about how Zarkon had turned to evil. Out of all the possible reasons he could have imagined as being the tipping point, _love_ was not one of them.

Guess it wasn't always a pure force for good.

"So what does it involve, exactly?" Shiro asked.

Pursing her lips in thought, Allura's gaze drifted back to the text. "As I said before, it is a passing mention at most. And the scale of it is..."

Shaking her head, she stopped herself from getting off topic. "What the text describes is a ritual in which a memory is taken from a living being, and transferred into some kind of an object. According to this, it is meant as a means of dealing with traumatic memories- sealing them, I suppose you could say, until one is ready to face them."

"But from the sound of it, it is only meant for a short span of memory." Allura told him. "Only so much as the vessel can contain. So to steal an entire lifespan's worth of memories..."

"You'd need a large vessel." Shiro finished.

"Yes, exactly." Allura told him. "But if this is true, and Haggar _did_ use a method similar to this, it would mean that Keith's memories are not gone. They are simply somewhere else."

Brows furrowing, Shiro considered the prospect. On one hand, it meant that there was a chance that Keith could get his memories back after all. But on the other hand...

"Would that even be safe?" Shiro asked. "I mean- putting eighteen years worth of memories back into Keith's head."

"I sincerely doubt it, at least, not all at once. Gradually, maybe." Allura told him. "And even if we _found_ the vessel, I do not have the knowledge to put them back. At best, I might accidentally destroy the vessel, and the memories with it, but at worst, we would risk them becoming scattered."

"Scattered." Shiro repeated. "That doesn't sound good."

"Not if you want to grapple with having someone else's memories in your head, no it does not." Allura told him. "I can only imagine the effect would be... disconcerting."

To say the least. Having one person on the Castle of Lions with identity issues was enough, he didn't need a whole crew of them. Besides, he was pretty sure Keith wouldn't be too happy about other people having his memories.

"Right," Shiro said, "-I see what you mean by it not being that helpful."

Nodding her head, Allura let out a sigh. "I have been pouring over these texts in hope of finding something else of use, but thus far, I am afraid that is all I have found."

"Well, it's something." Shiro told her. "Gives us a start, at least."

_If_ Haggar had used this method, that was.

_If_ she hadn't already destroyed the vessel.

"I suspect perhaps Haggar meant to sort through them, so that she could reconstruct Keith's memory for her own purposes." Allura told him. "It is fortunate for us that Ulaz rescued him when he did. If she were to had succeeded, he might very well be our enemy by now."

Not a prospect he relished.

He didn't know if that was something they would even be able to get Keith _back_ from. Losing memories was one thing, but having them manipulated to the point where you believed you were someone else?

There wasn't a single part of that, that _didn't_ sound horrifying.

And having to fight against Keith? He didn't even want to think about it.

"Guess we owe Ulaz a massive debt, then."

"Yes," Allura said, "-I suppose we do."

* * *

"Alright team, we've got about twenty minutes before the Galra notice we're here. Keith, how are things looking out there?"

"You're still in the clear." Keith informed him. "Let me know if you need an extraction."

"Copy that." Shiro told him. "Hopefully it won't come to that, but good to have the offer on the table. Everyone else in position?"

"Roger that." Lance's voice piped up. "Ready to receive prisoners."

"Ready to disable security protocols." Pidge replied.

"Just ready." Hunk said. "You know, in general. But since I'm standing right next to you, you probably know that already."

Letting out a faint laugh, Shiro's gaze flickered down towards Hunk, who just gave him a shrug of his shoulders. "Fair enough. Okay team, let's free those prisoners."

Olia had made them aware of a prison satellite off the far moon of a remote Galra outpost. She had intelligence that it contained a few captured rebel fighters, and had expressed an interest in seeing their safe return- but just like the Blade of Marmora, the resistance was spread thin at the moment.

Once they could solidify their foothold, they would all be able to breathe easy, but for the moment, everything was kind of touch and go. They needed to do as much as possible while Zarkon's direct attention wasn't on them- this was a chance none of them could pass up. They'd free these prisoners today, and come back later to attack the Galra outpost itself.

While he and Hunk freed the prisoners, Pidge was to disable the satellite's security. Lance was waiting in one of the shipment hangars to take them all out of here, while Keith hung back, out of sight in the red lion, monitoring the situation from outside. He didn't think he'd be thrilled to go back into a prison after everything he'd gone through, even if he couldn't remember most of it.

His body did.

And trust him- he understood that. Even _he_ got goosebumps from being here, but he could handle it. They had a job to do, and these prisoners had waited long enough.

Thus far, the mission was going without a hitch. Using Pidge's guidance, they were able to locate the exact sector of the satellite in which the prisoners were being held. The prison was almost entirely automated- so long as they stayed clear of the few scant foot soldiers there were, with Pidge in control of the systems, they didn't need to be worry about being picked up by the sentries.

"Okay, it looks like there's three separate cell blocks, all within close proximity." Pidge told them. "I'm sending you the access codes now. Good news is, we should be able to fit everyone into the blue lion's cargo hold."

"Right, thanks Pidge." Shiro told her. "Okay Hunk, let's get these guys out of here."

"Copy that." Hunk told him.

The access codes Pidge sent did the trick, and it wasn't long until every last prisoner was free. Some of them looked a little worse for wear, but it didn't look like anyone would need urgent medical care- a day or two in the cryo-replenishers, maybe.

"Alright Pidge, that's the last of them." Shiro told her. "We should be able to-"

"Paladin, wait."

"Actually, hold that thought, Pidge." Shiro said, before turning towards the alien who had spoken to him. It wasn't of a race he recognized, but even after being in space this long, there were still plenty of parts that he hadn't had the chance to explore just yet.

"There is another." The alien told him. "Of your kind."

The words were enough to give him pause. Of his kind? Another human?

"Shiro-"

He didn't even need to let Pidge finish to know what she was thinking. Although they'd found her brother, they still hadn't turned up any trace of her father.

But why would he be kept separate from the rest of the prisoners?

"I- where is this?" Shiro asked.

Motioning with its hand, the alien pointed in the opposite direction. "On the opposite side of the satellite, far away from the main cell block. I've only ever seen him once, but he should still be there."

"Right, okay- just hold on a second." Shiro told him, holding up a hand. "Pidge? You getting anything?"

"There _does_ seem to be some kind of restricted access zone in that area. It could be another cell." Pidge told him. "Shiro, do you think its my-?"

"I don't know." Shiro told her. The last thing he wanted was to get her hopes up, even if Sam was just about the only other human that had any reason to be this far in space, now that Keith and Matt had both been accounted for. "This prisoner- is it an older man?"

The alien merely shook its head. "No. Young."

Something in Shiro froze at his words.

Young? Was there another human this far out in space? As far as he knew, the Kerberos mission was the only one of its kind, so unless the Galaxy Garrison had sent someone up since then...

"Alright, I'll take care of it." Shiro told him. "Hunk, you escort the prisoners back to the blue lion. I'll see about our mystery prisoner."

Looking up at him, Hunk frowned. "Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Shiro admitted. "Guess we'll find out."

"I'm sending you a map now." Pidge told him- and he couldn't help but note the stark disappointment in her tone. "But I can't find _anything_ about an extra prisoner anywhere in the satellite's systems. This seems weird, Shiro."

"Yeah, what if it's a trap?" Lance asked.

"Then I'll be careful." Shiro told him. "Besides, I don't think the Galra would have let us get this far if they knew we were coming. Some of these prisoners are high ranking resistance leaders, I can't imagine they'd be too happy to see them escape."

"Looks like you'll need to hook me into the system when you get there." Pidge informed him. "I can't get into that zone from here. It's set up just like the prison we freed Slav from."

"Roger that." Shiro told her. "Go ahead and make your way back to the blue lion, Pidge. Keith, how's our time?"

For a second, there was nothing but silence on his end of line- just when he was about to do a com check, Keith's voice crackled across them. "You've got maybe six minutes, Shiro."

"Right, guess I'll just have to do this fast." Shiro said.

"I'll contact Allura, tell her to have a wormhole ready just in case." Keith told him.

"Good thinking." Shiro said. "Thanks, Keith."

Keith gave him a noncommittal noise in response- he seemed a bit distracted, he couldn't help but note.

He made good time in getting to the restricted access zone- Pidge had sent him the fastest route. Peering down the hallway, he frowned. There was a single sentry posted outside of the door at the end of it- so there _was_ another prisoner here.

Listening to the hum of his artificial hand as it flickered to life, he barreled down the corridor, taking out the sentry before it had a chance to retaliate- or worse, call for backup. He winced a little as it clattered to the floor, but he didn't have time to worry if that had attracted anyone's attention or not.

"Alright Pidge," Shiro said, "-I'm here. Hooking you up now."

"Got it." Pidge replied. "Let me just generate you an access code and- okay, we should be in."

As if on cue, the indicator light above the door panel flickered green. Powering down his hand, he let it hover over the panel for the span of a second, something causing him to hesitate. It was like there was something that held him back, something that told him that maybe he _shouldn't_ open this door.

He pressed his hand against the panel.

At first, he didn't see anyone, much less any prisoner. He was nearly about to declare that the cell was empty, before he noticed something dark stirring in the far corner of the room.

Shiro felt his breath hitch in his throat.

The first thing that caught his eye was the mess of dark hair, dirty and matted. It stood as a stark contrast to the pale skin of the cell's occupant, nearly translucent, like its owner hadn't seen the sun for a long time. They were nearly skin and bones, eyes sunken into hollow pits, making it hard to discern their color.

It didn't matter. He already knew what color they were.

They looked at him like he was a mirage.

"...shiro?"

He couldn't stop himself. The name was on his lips before he could register that his mouth was moving.

"... _keith_?"


End file.
